


is it cool if I hold your hand?

by orphan_account



Category: Death Note
Genre: Cats, First Crush, First Kiss, M/M, Middle School AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-06-10
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:19:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4108846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My moirail wanted a fic with L and Light hanging out, but Ryuk is Light's cat and L is allergic to cats.</p><p>Title from the blink-182 song "First Date" and I'd apologize but like...nope, I'm not sorry. As Tea says, "It's never a bad time for blink."</p>
            </blockquote>





	is it cool if I hold your hand?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ab2fsycho](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ab2fsycho/gifts).



He'd never been invited over to anyone's house before. Not for a playdate when he was younger, for sleepovers like a lot of other kids his age did, never even once dropped off at a babysitter's house so Watari could take the day off. It just didn't happen for him. So when Light asked if he wanted to come over on Saturday - well, he barely remembered to actually say yes. Light was the first friend he'd ever had and at first, he was a little hesitant to say yes. Knowing him, he'd surely do something to mess it up. 

But saying no would have definitely been wrong - Watari taught him to be polite and accept things, even if he didn't really understand why or what there was to gain from doing so. Even if he didn't really want to - but that hadn't been a problem, not really. No one ever gave him things or invited him anywhere, until recently, and he'd been fine with that.

So this invitation, this was an honor, and L (who never got called by and never wanted to be called by his first name) didn't know how to handle it. He was in middle school, and he'd been assured by several adults that this was a crucial time in life, socially speaking, where kids were at their worst and popularity was either made or broken. It was an interesting theory, but L didn't really care. He wasn't interested in popularity or really, even, in making friends (although he did have a few besides Light, and a two or three girls who for some odd reason actually thought he was  _cute_ ). But there was something different about being asked by Light.

He tried explaining it to Watari, and got sly grin in response. He didn't like that look and scowled back. He knew what it meant, the idea was just absurd. He only grudgingly let his caretaker help him figure out something appropriate to wear. Something in his stomach hurt like anxiety. It was a foreign feeling to him. 

He didn't get nervous often, or ever, really. It wasn't in his nature. The only time he ever really felt pressure was when competing, but unless his opponent was Light it wasn't strong even then. Most of his peers didn't really pose a challenge, even when they threatened him with physical violence. He could beat them in a fight if they really tried anything, but they wouldn't dare. Somehow whenever they opened their mouths and tried to start something, Light was there, in a corner, cracking his knuckles like he was an old movie gangster instead of middle schooler who'd barely hit five-foot-two over the summer.

It worked, so the actual impression L thought he gave off didn't really matter. If he had a little less pride and were more accustomed to these sorts of feelings, more given to these kinds of whims, he might have thought Light was...

_Cute_.

He ran a hand through his massively unkempt and unruly black hair, glaring at the ground, trying to knock the image of Watari's knowing look from the back of his eyes. He didn't want  _that_  following him around for the rest of the day.

"Stand up straight, Ryuzaki," Watari scolded gently. "And please smile, be polite. First impressions are important."

L sighed, frustrated, at the use of his first name, and composed his face into something more complacent. The agonizingly fake polite smile dropped when the door opened and Light was on the other side. Light smiled at him. He smiled back, for real this time. "Hey, L! Mr. Watari," he nodded. He grabbed L's wrist and dragged him in the house, starting up the stairs with L in tow when Watari interrupted him, L colliding with his back and trying not to let his face light up at the contact.

"Light?" he called.

"Yes?" Light called back, hand holding L's wrist twitching slightly.

It didn't go unnoticed, but L didn't know how to interpret it. "May I speak with your mother?"

"Uhm," he shifted weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah, she's in the kitchen," Light said, and continued up the stairs quickly, L trying not to trip or run into him again.

He'd never been in a room other than his own before, so L's curiosity skyrocketed as he rocked on the balls of his feet as Light unlocked his door, wondering what the inside looked like. "Sorry," Light said quietly, not actually sounding very sorry, "I lock my door so no one goes in and reads my diary."

L hummed. Was that something all siblings did? He'd worry about Near and Mello doing the same, but he didn't keep a diary. The school had tried getting him to keep a log once before on his activities, to see if they could monitor or track the logic behind some of his more 'unique' behaviors, but it didn't last long. The teachers found his mannerisms aggravating, at times, but he was a good student, so there wasn't much else to complain about. 

The lock clicked and gave way. Light flipped the switch and illuminated the room, the stepped back in, holding the door so L could slip past him. L held his shoulders close to his body, almost shrugging them as he moved, sticking his hands in his pockets. 

Light moved quickly around his room, pushing L down to a sitting position at the edge of his bed. He leaned forward, close up in L's face, with his hands tightly grasping L's shoulders. L could feel his heart beating at an exorbitantly high rate. He was tempted to put his hand over his heart and count it, like he did sometimes when he was feeling lethargic, but he found he couldn't move his arms. They just wouldn't cooperate. 

After a few seconds that felt inexplicably long, Light whispered, "You absolutely cannot tell my mother I have this." L nodded, feeling numb, and Light turned around, looking through the drawers in his desk for something. L's shoulders tingled from being touched, and he hurriedly turned his head to survey the room, to keep himself distracted and divert the warm feeling from spreading to his cheeks.

Light's room was neat. He'd been expecting that. Light was always meticulous at school - meticulous in dress, meticulous in writing, meticulous in speech, meticulous even in the way he ate at lunch. It was strange for someone their age, or at least L thought so, but he wouldn't have expected anything less. The sheer number of books on law and justice was impressive, and he wondered if Light's dad had given them to him. Or was he disapproving? Did he even know about them? Each text was in alphabetical order and the bookshelf was free from dust.

If L was like other people, he might have felt a twinge of embarrassment. His room was not nearly this neat, and that was a point of constant consternation with Watari.

"This is really bloody and violent," Light warned, his voice interrupting L's thoughts. 

L's eyes widened in interest. Watari didn't really like him watching such things either, although he typically let it slide. He knew there wasn't much he could do to keep L from accessing any material he wanted to get his hands on, but that didn't stop him from occasionally admonishing L about his choice of entertainment. 

Not that it was anything compared to Mello's.

Light sat down next to L, pressing play with the remote as L drew his knees up to his chest. He watched from the corner of his eye as Light became more relaxed as the movie wore on, eventually leaning back on his hands. He saw Light's eyes shift to his and he looked back to the screen quickly, pretending to be more engrossed than he really was until a monster jumped out and he screamed, throwing his hands out to keep himself from falling off the bed.

"Are you okay?" Light asked. He'd paused the movie and was staring at L, face drawn into a frown. He looked genuinely concerned, and L felt embarrassed. He wasn't a child anymore, they'd be entering high school in a few months, there was no reason for him to have such an immature reaction.

"Yes," he replied curtly. He grimaced at him self, right hand leaving to grab the remote from Light's hand and press play again. He didn't realize it until his hand was already moving that he'd been holding Light's left. He felt more agitation growing in his chest, and he wasn't sure whether it was because he'd grabbed Light's hand in the first place or because he'd let go in a fit of determination.

He didn't really care to look for the answer, either. "We don't have to watch this movie, if you don't want to," Light offered. His tone was gently teasing. 

"I'm fine," L replied coolly. He recomposed himself, pulling his knees back up and resting his chin on them. He kept his right hand flat on the bed by his feet to support himself, biting on the skin of his left thumb in concentration. He was determined not to be startled by anything else. So determined he didn't, at first, register the other hand curling around his free one.

His eyes darted quickly to Light's face. Light was watching the screen intently, like he was studying it. L turned back to the screen himself, feeling confused. They could both appreciate horror movies, good and bad, psychological or supernatural, but it was hardly Light's passion (or his own). Nor was there anything particularly interesting happening on screen; the female protagonist had met back up with her love interest, and the two were kissing passionately -

He wasn't given more time to try and analyze what Light found so interesting about the scene being displayed. His attention was diverted when Light leaned over and kissed him quickly - not on his mouth, exactly, but at the corner.

Light drew back, looking a little frightened, like he wasn't sure how L would react. And L, himself, felt a little confused. It came out of nowhere, for him at least. He'd done what he could to pretend and hide away any feelings he experienced and he'd never once gotten the impression that Light had any feelings for him. He was attractive, nearly everyone in their grade liked him, so why Light would choose to kiss him was a mystery.

But L wasn't one to waste an opportunity. He had no idea what he was doing, just that he wanted to do it and if he didn't act now his chance would be gone. He was clumsy, but pushed forward any and pressed his lips against Light's. 

Light kissed back, balancing himself by placing a hand on L's knee. He closed his eyes, and L started to do the same before he pulled back, unceremoniously, and sneezed.

At first, Light looked had a hurt look in his eyes when L pulled away, like he'd been rejected. When L looked away, he bit his lip, and told himself not to cry. When L ducked his head in his elbow and sneezed, he frowned, and leaned back. L frowned, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Do you wanna, uh, try that again?" Light asked. He wasn't normally one to show timidity, and he'd been so sure before, but L could be so difficult to read.

"Ye-" L started to answer, but his body convulsed and he sneezed, then coughed.

Light's frown deepened. "What, are you allergic to me?"

He was mostly joking, but L took his words seriously. "No," he said. "I'm only allergic to cats."

"Oh," Light said. L watched as his friend moved himself from the edge of the bed to the floor, picking up the covers on his bed to peek under it. "Get out from under there!" he barked, and something furry, black-coated, and massive made a hacking sound and darted from under the bed to the top of Light's desk, yellow eyes peering at L.

L pushed himself back on impulse. "What is that?" he asked, a little incredulous.

"A demon from hell, I'm pretty sure," Light answered. "But Sayu insists it's a cat. He's always getting into my room, I don't even know how -" he glared at the thing, moving backwards to unlock his door. He poked his head out and yelled, "Sayu! Get your stupid cat out of my room!"

"What?" came the muffled answer.

Light sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend you didn't hear me! My friend's allergic to cats, get him out of here!"

L could feel the embarrassment rising up again and wondered how obvious it would be, if his sister would be able to walk in and see it written on his face or Light's face. Not that it should have mattered, but somehow it did. Any time emotions were involved, it did. But at least he wasn't breaking out in hives - telling Watari that story would add an extra layer of humiliation. 

L broke out of his thoughts when he felt a heavy weight land on his lap. He gasped, a wheezing noise breaking out of his throat as he coughed. The demon cat had jumped from his perch into L's lap and was kneading his thighs. The cat was glancing up at him, his purr more like a rasp as his nails dug through the fabric of L's jeans and into his flesh.

Light seized. "He's...he's  _cuddling up to you?_ " L was fairly certain that most people would find the expression and tone used offensive, but he was also fairly certain Light hadn't meant it that way. He was sneering, visibly repulsed by the thing calling itself a cat making a home on L's legs. "He doesn't like anybody - except for Sayu, of course -"

"Oh, there you are, Ryuk!" Light's sister pushed past her brother into his room, clapping her hands together at the sight. "And you've made a new friend! Aww! I'll have to go get a camera," she mused, rushing out the door again.

"Hey! Come back here and take - ugh. She's gone again," Light mumbled. He turned to his friend, blush staining his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, L," he said.

"It's o-" L broke off, coughing again. So this was why his chest had been hurting so bad. 

(Well, it probably wasn't the only thing, but he could keep pretending, right?)

Light sat back down next to L, his head in his hands, as he watched his sister's cat nuzzle up to his friend's stomach and tried to bite back on the slight jealousy he felt. "This just won't do," he muttered, almost to himself. He saw a flash in his eyes and moved his eyes up. L looked horrified - or as horrified as he ever did, as he was normally stoic. Seeing his facade shattered, even a little bit, was disarming.

It occurred to Light, after his shock wore off, that L had misinterpreted what he'd said. Internally, he rolled his eyes. Outwardly, he put on a smile, and glanced back at the cat. He moved his hand back over to cover L's and said, "He's not gonna leave you alone."  _And neither am I._  "We'll just have to get you some allergy medication."


End file.
